Rigid, hinged-lid packets of cigarettes are currently the most widely marketed, by being easy to produce, easy and practical to use, and by effectively protecting the cigarettes inside.
A rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes comprises a group of cigarettes wrapped in a sheet of foil; and a rigid outer package housing the group of cigarettes. The outer package comprises a cup-shaped container housing the group of cigarettes and having an open top end; and a cup-shaped lid hinged to the container along a hinge to rotate, with respect to the container, between an open position and a closed position respectively opening and closing the open end. A collar is normally folded and fitted inside the container to project partly outwards of the open end and engage a corresponding inner surface of the lid when the lid is in the closed position.
In a rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes, the outer package is formed by folding a flat blank about the group of cigarettes fitted with the collar, and is stabilized by gluing superimposed tabs of the blank.
At two superimposed tabs, the edge of the outer tab is normally made to coincide with an edge of the outer package to conceal the edge of the outer tab. The above method provides for excellent results in terms of appearance, in the case of square edges, by the edge of the outer tab being superimposed almost perfectly on the square edge, but for only passable results in the case of rounded or bevelled edges, on account of the edge of the outer tab necessarily being located alongside, as opposed to superimposed on, the edge.